CLUB 59: Eagles, birdies fly as Brown shatters Patutahi course record

Hukanui Brown about to tee off the eighth hole at Patutahi Golf Club on Sunday. It was Brown’s starting hole in a course record round of 59 — surpassing the 62 he shot in March of last year.Picture supplied

When Hukanui Brown sank a 1-foot birdie putt on his last hole at Patutahi golf course on Sunday, those around him had just witnessed something special . . . and probably something they would never see again.

Brown had just shot an astonishing 11-under 59 — the greatest individual score in Poverty Bay-East Coast/Tairāwhiti golfing history, not to mention a course record.

The 33-year-old’s historic round — which started on the par-4 eighth hole known as “Camel” — featured two eagles and eight birdies. His only blemish was a bogey.

His reaction, amid the jubilation of his playing buddies, was as much relief as it was ecstasy.

That had something to do with the pressure that began building when it was pointed out to him he was 9-under with five holes to play.

“I was doing good until they told me I was 9-under. Then I started thinking about it,” said the man known as Huks or Fatz, who went into the round as the holder of the Patutahi course record of 62 he set in March of last year.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

It was not all about birdies. Brown sank par putts he estimated at 12 feet (four metres) on the  third (his 12th) and fourth holes.

“Things got shaky,” the +3-handicapper  admitted.

He birdied the 276-metre par-4 fifth to go 10-under but missed a four-foot birdie attempt on the sixth.

Brown stood on the 320m par-4 seventh tee — a birdie away from history — and let fly, crushing his ball to just short of the green. He put his next to 30 centimetres of the hole and sank the putt to  join the elite sub-60 club.

“I was just relieved that it was over,” he said.

Earlier, there was little to indicate what was to eventuate in what was a standard round of skins with his mates — Dwayne Russell, Regan Hindmarsh, Silas Brown, Jace Brown and Rios Moleta.

Huks started with two pars, followed by a birdie on the par-5 10th hole (his third hole of the day).

The first of his two eagles came on the next hole — a 315m par-4 which he nearly drove, got the flag taken out of the hole and watched in bemusement as  his putt he thought was missing broke into the hole.

A birdie-2 followed on the 12th, then came the hole that denied him a flawless scorecard — a bogey-5 on the 365m 13th after tree trouble off the tee.

He birdied three of the next five holes to shoot 7-under 29 for his outward nine. His back nine was 6-under 30.

You don’t shoot 59 without a little luck. It came on the par-5 first hole when his drive went through a gap in the trees on the neighbouring second and his ball ended just 130m from the green. He thumped a pitching wedge to six-feet from the flag and slotted the putt for eagle No.2.

While stunned to have emulated a feat only 11 players on the PGA Tour have  achieved — albeit on significantly tougher courses — Brown had what could be described as a premonition leading up to Sunday.

“For the last couple of months I ‘ve been thinking about shooting 59.”

The closest anyone has come to sub-60 on a Tairāwhiti course in recent history is 61 from Andrew Higham at Te Puia Hot Springs in March 2014 and April 2015. The Springs is a par 66.

Brown’s round was this week confirmed as a course record and even the best players in the district believe it may be insurmountable.

“Can’t see anyone beating this . . . ever,” fellow Tairāwhiti representative and former Patutahi course recordholder William Brown wrote on Facebook.

“What a meke day; one never to forget,” wrote Russell, who marked Brown’s card.

Incidentally, Russell shot 3-under 67 including six birdies.

Brown beat him 6 and 5 . . . for $20.